72 Hours
by Bookworm58
Summary: Retelling of the episode 2x10 72 Hours. Give it a try you might find that its not as boring as it sounds. Not really any spoilers past the episode.


**First story, I hope you all enjoy. Like I said in the summary this is just a retelling of the episode, except instead of watching it you're reading it. I'm adding nothing knew, unless you count getting into the characters heads. Depending on how well this story does, I may do the same for other episodes. **

* * *

72 Hours

Sarah Linden came to with a splitting headache. Her eyes cracked open, but her vision was blurry and all she could make out where white walls. She was lying on a bed of some sorts, only wearing the jeans and gray t-shirt she had worn under her wooly sweater. Slowly, she reached up with both hands to gingerly touch the bump on top of her head, and soft groan escaped her lips as sharp pain flared from the bump. She tried to remember what had happened and how she got there, but her mind was fuzzy. It wasn't until she brought her hands back down that she noticed the white hospital bracelet, which had her name on it.

She inwardly gasped, and bolted into a sitting position. A little too quickly as her vision blurred again and her head felt suddenly light. Sarah brought up one hand to her face, waiting for her vision to go back into focus. When it did she finally realized where she was...

The room was empty save for the bed she was on and white walled. The window to her left was barred, and there was no door to the room. She knew exactly where she was, this place was all too familiar to her. This must be another dream, no it was a nightmare. She'd had this nightmare countless times before, but this one seemed much more real than the others. Very slowly Sarah stood up, her bare feet touching the cool tiles, and looked around the room again.

Upon exiting the room, she walked down the white walled hallway that appeared to be empty save for one orderly who was writing something down on a whiteboard that hung on the wall. The female orderly did not pause or even look at Sarah as she passed by. Turning a corner down another hallway, a male doctor came out of the door at the end of the hallway. The doorway to her freedom. Finding that door was always how her dream ended, she would grab the steel knob to open it and then wake up. Thankfully she managed to find the door a lot sooner than in most of her dreams.

Just like the female orderly, he doctor did not stop, or show any sign that he even saw her as he walked right past. Sarah looked back at him briefly before picking up her speed, and jogging toward the door. She grabbed the knob and turned it, but the door remained locked, and she didn't wake up. She slammed her shoulder against the door a couple times to try and force it open, but to no avail it remained firmly closed...

Staring out the small window in the center of the door, the reality of it all slowly came into Sarah's mind. This was not a dream, her worst nightmare had come true... she was back in the psychiatry acute ward.

_Opening Titles _

Stephen Holder could not remember the last time he felt so much anger and desperation. His partner and friend had been attacked on the 10th floor of the Wapi Eagle Casino, was now in a psychiatric hospital, and they weren't even allowing him to see if she's ok. He slammed his hand down on the front desk counter while screaming at the nurse, "Then call your damn boss- I need to see her right now!"

"I told you," the nurse repeated for the tenth time sounding exasperated. "You can come back during visiting hours."

Stephen was not having any of this. Roughly, he pulled the long chain that hung around his neck, holding his badge at the end of it, out from inside his shirt and shoved it in her face. "Look I'm a cop- make the call!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry sir but there are no exceptions!" The nurse replied seeming to be struggling to remain calm herself.

Stephen looked away from her, smiling as he tried so desperately not to just use psychical force to get past this woman. This was unbelievable! "Your friend is being taken care of," the nurse continued sounding calmer now, which only aggravated his own mood. "She's a danger to herself-"

That comment was the last straw for him. "What the hell are you talking about- screw this!" Stephen started shoving past the nurse, "Get out of my-" a security guard ran over to the scuffle to help restrain him.

"Sir you need to leave now!" the nurse yelled now sounding frazzled.

However Stephen was no longer paying attention to her, he was now ready to get into a fist fight with the security guard. He grabbed the guy by his uniformed shirt and started making threats, "You want me to make a call to my friends, huh? We'll have a little rumble, huh!" then he shoved the other guy away. "You want to go?"

Things might have gotten nastier if Lt. Carlson hadn't shown up. "Holder! What the hell are you doing!" he yelled.

For once Stephen was actually relieved to see Carlson. In an instant he swung around and started toward the older man. Sure he was a prick that slammed down every warrant or move he and Linden tried to use, but he could at least help get her out there. "Sir! Sir!" He called calming his voice down, and lowering it to almost a whisper. "Their trying to frame her, we need to get out of here right now."

"Sarah trespassed on Indian land without a warrant, for that matter a badge. I told her numerous times- I told both of you to stay out of there. I should have taken your badge!" Carlson replied sternly.

Stephen felt his anger return full force, but he knew that he couldn't lose it with his Lt. Biting back all the horrible names he wished to call Carlson, he explained. "She found evidence inside the casino that proves the tribe is covering up a murder!"

"Well let's hope not because it would be completely inadmissible," Carlson retorted. "Look chief Jackson said she attacked a casino worker because he was trying to kill herself."

"She's not suicidal, sir and you know it," Stephen replied still trying to stay calm. He couldn't believe Carlson believed that bitch after everything she's done. "You've _seen_ what there capable of!" he reminded the older man motioning at himself.

Carlson just shook his head, "Only a psychiatrist can get her out Holder. My hands are tied."

Stephen finally realized that Carlson was going to keep being a big fat jerk and not help him get Linden out. With a sigh he admitted defeat, "All right…" He started walking past the older man, and then turned around with a second thought. "Oh… a heads up. Call your boys down at county. The Rosie Larsen files up and disappeared somewhere between our house and theirs." He then added with a little heat, "Guess you're in the wrong circle of trust Lutenit." With that Stephen left the waiting room, roughly shouldering the security guy on the way out.

* * *

Sarah approached the nurses station. "I need to use the phone," she said very calm and politely. She knew very well how this hospital worked, and getting angry or demanding is the best to make you lose all your privileges. Just to show that she's was completely normal and not crazy, Sarah added a "Please," which sounded more strained then she had intended it to.

The nurse remained cool and professional, "I'd be happy to contact a family member for you, let them know you're here."

Biting back a nasty retort about the fact that she has no family, Sarah calmly replied. "I need to talk to my partner. You can't deny me reasonable access to a phone."

"Of course, but you'll have to wait to make a personal phone call during the designated hours-"

"This isn't a personal call," Sarah interrupted, struggling to keep her voice calm. "I have important information related to a case that needs to be related to my partner. Right now you are impeding a murder investigation."

"Sarah… the rules are in place."

Sarah let out a breath to remain calm. It was long shot, she had hoped signifying how important it was to get the information to Holder, would help get around the rules. But of course it didn't work. With a small nod indicating that she understood, Sarah reached out to grab a paper and pen from the desk. "That's fine; I'll write him a note-"

The other woman quickly snatched the paper and pen from Sarah's hands, "If you want to write him a note, you can dictate it to me and I'll make sure he get its."

Sarah glared intently at the nurse. She could not believe this was happening, did no one realize the time pressure she was under. There is no reason for her needing to be here, and it was only stopping her from finding out the truth. "When was the last time you ate something?" the nurse continued. "Slept?"

"I don't have to be in here," Sarah responded tensely, dearly wanting to scream out that she has been wrongly committed.

"You're on suicide watch Sarah." That news certainly threw Sarah off guard. She gets attacked on the tenth floor and ends up on suicide watch? This new information made her tongue tied, so the nurse continued. "It's only for 72 hours; maybe you should get some rest."

Sarah slowly backed away from the nurses desk, as the full reality of this situation came crashing down on her. Being on suicide watch meant she really was trapped, and by the time she was let out… the election would be over. Rosie Larsen will be another cold case. At a total loss of what to do, she headed back to her room.

* * *

"Sorry I yelled at you; I shouldn't have done that." Stan Larsen was sitting at the kitchen table with his sister in law Terry Merak. Apologizing is always a hard thing to do, but this particular situation made it all the more harder. He had screamed and thrown out this woman who had been around all this time helping him in his time of need. "You were right Terry. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself; I couldn't see what was happening to the boys. Even before Rosie... I acted like… pretended like everything was ok, then it would be."

"You're being too hard on yourself Stan," Terry replied empathetically.

He didn't necessary agree. Just look what's happening to his own son, "Tommy killed some birds at school today, he's suspended for two weeks."

"He's angry," Terry replied knowingly. "With everything that's happening… Mitch leaving."

"I just don't know what else to do," Stan had never felt at such a loss before, on how to deal with his own kids. He took a sip of his coffee, now at a loss of what to say.

"Stan…" Terry broke the short silence, and he looked back at her. "What happens if the cops never find the guy?"

Stan didn't even want to think about that. He could barely stand the idea of living the rest of his life not knowing who took Rosie away from him. Who destroyed his family, who destroy his life. He could only gasp at the thought. "You're angry because you can't let go," she continued. "The boys can see it… their holding there breath wondering when it's going to be ok to start living again."

Letting go… how can he let go of this. How can get let go without knowing who killed Rosie? "You got to try Stan"

"How do I do that?"

"Maybe you fix what you can… and I don't know." A short silence fell between them again. "Then maybe you forgive yourself."

_Day 23…_

Stan sat in the car, staring out at Bennet Ahmed's house. It was pouring down rain like usual, seemed to match his mood. His wife Amber stepped out of the front door, and looked up at the flickering light that hung above there door. Bennet showed himself a moment later, with a newborn baby in his arms. He was certainly looking a lot better then the last time Stan saw him. For one he was awake and on his feet, the only thing that gave way of his severe beating other then being slow moving was a collar brace around his neck.

Bennet hugged his wife gently; Stan could just barely hear him say, "I love you, bye."

"See you later," Amber replied, and kissed the top of her baby's forehead.

"Good day," Bennet called out to her, and she walked down the sidewalk. Probably heading off to her job, which she must have been forced to take right after having her baby, since her husband couldn't work now.

Stan watched her walk away, realizing that his actions had hurt more then just his own family. He had beat an innocent man half to death… and now his family is ruined as well. He wished there was something he could do for them.

* * *

Stephen was now at the docks. He figured that if anyone might able to get Linden out, it would be her social worker. Someone who's known her for years and is probably like a mother figure. He had no idea what she looked like and where to find her. So he had to ask someone for help, and he was directed toward a boat where a man and woman were.

"Hey, you Regi?" Stephen called to the woman who he assumed would be the person he was looking for.

She looked over at him, smiling pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

This felt a lot more awkward then he originally thought it would. "Yeah I'm- I'm Stephen Holder… Linden's partner." The pleasant smile fell from Regi's face upon hearing that. That didn't hold a lot of promises…

At least she was willing to talk. Soon the two of them were walking the docks and she listened while he explained the situation. "Sarah found evidence in that casino linking Rosie Larsen's death to City Hall. Now they got her locked up for thee days, until elections over, and the case is buried for good."

Her reaction was less then satisfactory. "And… what- what is it you want me to do?"

She sounded so tactless, so unconcerned about this situation. Wasn't it obvious what he was looking for? "Can't you call someone, pull some stings. I thought you worked in social services, or something?"

"Well other then… the hospital doctors. The only other person that can get her released is her psychiatrist."

Yes! A line to catch. "Ok, s-so- who is she? Got her number?"

"I can't give you that information, and… I'm pretty sure Sarah wouldn't want me to."

"There's proof in that casino proving that Sarah isn't crazy, and how this all connects to the mayor-"

"Di-did you see the proof with your own eyes, or is that just what Sarah told you?" Regi asked still seeming unconvinced.

Stephen was starting to get exasperating. Why was she so unwilling to help Linden, didn't she care about her at all? "Come on…"

"I can see that you care about her, so do I."

"Great way to show it," Stephen wanted to say to her. But instead he said, "You're the only family she's got."

"And I don't like it that she's in there, and she- she doesn't want to be. But I've seen what she does to herself- who's taking care of Jack?"

Jack was fine, he's probably doing better now then he was before. "He's in Chicago with his dad," he said hoping this would help convince her that Sarah was fine and not crazy. She sent her son away so he'd be safe, what crazy about that?

Unfortunately Regi didn't seem to agree with his thinking. She gawked, giving him an "Oh my God, seriously" look. "Work is the last thing she needs right now, it's why she got put in there in the first place… I've seen what happens to her when she neglects everything else in her life. When she thinks she needs that case more then she needs sleep or food- more then her old son."

Stephen felt his hopes getting dashed very fast. He really didn't want to believe her, but something in the back of his mind said that this is someone who's known Linden her entire life, and she's speaking truth. The looks on his face must have given away his thoughts because Regi nodded her head knowing he was finally starting to understand. "This is- this is how it started last time."

Despite all this, he refused to believe that it was happening again. Maybe there is some truth to what she was saying, but it's not the same. "This time is different," he told her with some heat and left before she could reply.

Stephen continued walking down the docks, and his eyes catch the waterfront construction site across the way, a huge billboard advertizing what is soon to come. Something tells him to go over and get a closer look, so he makes his way over to the construction site. It's not until he's up close and reading the billboard he figures out what that something was trying to tell him.

A cigarette between his lips, Stephen reads the fine print in the corner of the billboard. His eyes first see the large CDF in the middle of the blue triangle, underneath it says "Colombia Domain Fund." To the left it says, "This project is funded by." And underneath all that is the name he was looking for. "Project Manager, Michael Ames." That can't be just coincidence. Rosie tells Alexi that she saw Ames at the casino, who was probably meeting with chief Jackson. And Linden found evidence linking it all to City all… they mayors waterfront project.

With another whiff of the cancer stick, Stephen digs through his pockets and pulls out his cell phone. He speed dials the techs number, and soon Ray's voice is on the other end. "Yeah?" he asks

"Yo Ray, its Holder."

"I can't be talking to you, Carlson's orders," Ray instantly says. "And I thought you were on sick leave?"

Stephen didn't have time for the idle chit chat questions. "Hey check out something for me. Mayor Adam's Waterfront Project, and Michael Ames. All right, I need any info you can get on- on Ames company Colombia Domain Fund, and the Waterfront."

"Like what?"

"Looking for anything dirty, arrests, unit's, planes, building code violations. I-I don't know just do it! …You there?" Stephen asked after a short silence.

"Yeah, yeah I'm checking," Rays voice replied, he could heard him typing on the other end. "One arrest on the waterfront on record. Couple weeks ago precinct picked up a guy who broke in. They cut him loose, no charges. It was four weeks ago."

"Four weeks ago?" Stephen repeated feeling like his hunches are about to be confirmed. "What was the date?"

"October 5th," Ray replied with almost a sigh in his voice.

Yes his hunches were turning out to be true. "The night Rosie Larsen was killed."

Ray was now sounding a little exasperated. "Yeah, there were a dozen other crimes that night. It doesn't mean it had anything to do with Rosie-" Stephen hung up the phone. It did have something to do with Rosie's death that much was obvious. They are so close… so close.

* * *

Stan placed his ladder inside the back of his truck. After making sure that both Bennet and Amber were out of the house, he took the time to fix there broken light. It would be anonymous, but he knew Bennet would never let him if he asked, and doing it made him feet a little bit better. Made him feel like he did help them out in some way.

He had just barely finished putting the ladder in when the couple came walking up to their house. Bennet was slowly hobbling on a walking stick, and smiling at his wife as they chatted idly. That smile was gone in an instant, when he realized who Stan was. Despite being gravely injured and wouldn't hold up in a fight against a child, Bennet still protectively pushed Amber and the baby behind him. He wasn't about to let anything happen to them. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked voice stronger then he looked.

"Mr. Ahmed," Stan began sorrowfully. This was another hard apology he had to do. He knew that before he could forgive himself he had to at least ask everyone else for forgiveness first. "I was wrong… I know Rosie- cared about you. That she came to say good bye, that night. And that's all-"

"You stay away from my family," Bennet interrupted. "Or I'm calling the cops, do you understand? You've done enough. Now get out of here. Get out of here!" he threatened angrily.

Stan sadly watched the two go back into the house. He knew that he didn't deserve the forgiveness that he seeked. But at least he tried, that's the only thing he was capable of doing in this situation.

* * *

The worst part of being in an institution is that you're forced to talk to a therapist. But Sarah knew fully well that fighting with the hospitals system is only going to make it harder for her to escape. This is why she was sitting in the office, like a good crazy person, calmly waiting for the doctor to arrive.

"She's ready," an orderly spoke from outside the room, and her ears perked up at the sound of high heeled shoes approaching. This meant it was time to put on her "I'm completely normal" act. She forced herself to smile as a dark haired woman walked in and set a coffee cup down on the desk. "I'm Dr. Kerry," she greeted Sarah professionally, sitting down in the chair across from her. "It's nice to meet you."

Sarah politely nodded returning the greeting all the while still forcing herself to smile. It was time to start the explanation, "This all been a terrible mistake, I can explain everyth-"

"Do you mind if I call you Sarah?" Dr. Kerry interrupted as she looked at the folder containing Sarah's files. "The nurse already told me that you working a case."

So that's how she wants to play? Sarah continued to remain calm and took this unexpected approach in stride. "Yes I am," she replied.

"But you have been suspended from the police department. So you can't actually be doing that if you're no longer a detective can you?" Dr. Kerry didn't even allow her to answer the question before moving on to something else. "A few days ago, you and your son fled from Child Protective Services who were responding to reports of neglect. Since then they have been unable to find a residence for you, where have you been staying?"

Well she certainly couldn't say that they've been living out of hotel rooms. She and Jack stayed at Regi's for a week, and then they stayed at Holder's. "At a friends," she finally settled on.

"The woman who found you on the tenth floor said you were about to jump," Dr. Kerry suddenly jumped to another topic. Was this her way of pointing out how messed up Sarah's life is? She already knew that, and didn't need someone telling her how messed up it was.

Sarah scoffed at the story, shaking her head. It explained why she's now on suicide watch, but that's the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. The doctor continued, "When she tried to pull you back, you fought with her, she sustained some injuries-"

"That's not what happened, I didn't touch her." Sarah defenses immediately went up. She was the one that was attacked, and now those Indians were laying out this crap story about her being the one that was doing the attacking.

Dr. Kerry must have sensed that she hit a nerve. "I'm not here to keep you against your will Sarah."

"Then let me out," Sarah retorted desperately wanting to add, 'if that's really your deal then you should have no problem letting me out because I'm not suicidal and keeping me here right now is only impeding Rosie Larsen's murder investigation.' However she knew that saying that would only make things worse for her.

"I'd like too," was the doctors reply and Sarah forced another smile. "So if you talk to me, then I can help you." Dr. Kerry smiled at her and a short silence fell between them before she continued. "I'll be making the final recommendations about your release, so if you're cooperative you can be out of here a lot sooner then the 72 hour hold. Ok?"

Sarah didn't respond. She was having a harder and harder time remaining calm and cool about all this. It was starting to look like she wasn't about to get out right away, and will be forced to talk to this therapist. Dr. Kerry opened the file folder again, pulled a white piece of photocopy paper, and looked at it for a moment. "Could you tell me about this?" she asked placing the paper face up in front of Sarah.

Sarah frowned down at paper which was a picture of thirteen dead trees in a field with a lake and hills behind them. "It's a photocopy of a drawing you brought with you the last time you were admitted here. Dr. Felder notes that it had some significance to the case you were working at that time." Sarah felt anger burning insider her. She did not want to talk about that drawing, and was ready to tear Dr, Kerry a new one for even daring to bring it up. "I think we should start by talking about that case and the last time you were here."

* * *

It was great being back with the All Stars. It was nice being back with the with the voters again. Darren Richmond was home again, "Thank you, thank you all for having me. It's really good to be here," he pleasantly said shaking a woman's hand. "Really good."

"Cya Councilman," another guy said giving him a brotherly handshake.

As everyone disbursed, Darren's campaign advisers Jamie Write and Gwen Eaten approached him. "Darren we're still 7 points down, polls aren't budging, we should be courting votes we don't already have." Jamie told. Of course he'd be the one to bring the downer down on such a great occasion. All he cared about was winning the election.

"If we can't beat Adams in add space, we'll beat him here on the ground," Darren replied.

"Great…" Jamie did not look happy about his answer. "Well at least one of us should be doing real work. I'll be at the office."

Jamie stalked off in a huff. "He'll be all right," Gwen said brushing him off.

"He doesn't like to lose," Darren said by way of explanation.

"Well you two have that in common," she teased.

Darren smiled and teased back at her. "You're not so comfortable with that yourself."

Gwen smiled and shrugged. "I'm glad you're doing this. I think you should finish the way you started. No backroom deals, no compromises, just being yourself."

"Naïve?" Darren asked. That was the only word he could think of that might describe him. That's what everyone, including Jamie, has been calling him.

"Genuine," Gwen corrected smiling at him. Darren looked up at her, chest swelling with admiration. That was one of the reason's he'd grown to love her, she always knew what to say when he was feeling down. But that also made her betrayal sting all the more.

He reached his hand out and the basket ball was tossed to him. He laughed joyfully, "Who thinks I can make a basket? Huh?" he asked wheeling himself toward the hoop. This was followed by cheering and clapping from the crowd. "Yes I can!"

"You got it sir!" a voice called out in the ground.

Darren picked up the basket ball and aimed it at the hoop before tossing it. He missed, "Oh no I can't!" this was followed by "ohh's" from the crowd, but still some clapping. "Didn't say I'd make it the first time."

The ball was tossed back at him and he bounced it once before shoot again. This time it went in, and this was followed by more clapping and cheering. "All right lets play!" he cheered tossing the ball to another player laughing. The other players ran back onto the court to continue playing. "Here we go!"

* * *

Sarah silently waited for Dr. Kerry to start picking her brain about the case. The doctor had fallen silent herself while looking at Sarah's file. Finally she broke the quiet, "Your file says that you're a smoker. Would you like a cigarette?" she offered pulling out a pack and placing it on the desk in front of her. "This office does have some perks."

She smirked at the doctor. That was certainly a rookie move; but since she was offering… Sarah reached over, and grabbed the packet. She took out a cancer stick and lit it with a lighter. Dr. Kerry seemed to be satisfied that she had relaxed Sarah enough to start asking questions about this sensitive topic, "So tell me about that case."

"Isn't it in the file?" Sarah asked stalling. She knew that she'd eventually have to start talking about it, but that didn't mean she was going to make it easy on her.

"I'd like to hear it from you," Dr. Kerry replied with a nod.

Sarah took a moment to take a whiff of smoke, as to give her time to come up with something that would answer the question, without actually giving away details. "It was, nonstop working a murder," she replied offering another forced smile. "Every cop goes through it, not sleeping not eating."

"But they don't all end up here."

Sarah waved her off, "I should have taken better care of myself and I didn't. And that's it."

"You were brought here by a Regi Darnell. Your ten year old son Jack had called her. He was scared... you hadn't been out of your bedroom in several days." Sarah bit back the many rude remarks that she wished to say to the doctor.

Dr. Kerry must have realized she wasn't getting anywhere and changed the subject, "Why don't you tell me about this drawing?"

Realizing that she was never going to get out less she told Dr. Kerry exactly what she wanted to hear. So she gave in, "I was called to the scene by patrol. Hooker had been slashed… killed. Her body was decomposing in her apartment, the smell alerted the neighbors. Her six year son was inside they had to break down the door, he couldn't reach the chain. He had been inside with his mother's body for a week, hiding in the closet waiting for someone to come." She paused here, getting a handle on her emotions before continue. "I took him into the kitchen, to wait for child protective services to come, he drew that," Sarah motioned at the drawing. "Again and again."

"What was his name?" Dr. Kerry asked. "The boy?"

"Adrian…" Sarah could feel her defenses start to waiver. It was time to get away from this topic.

"That must have been horrible," Dr. Kerry empathized shaking her head. "For you to see that. I bet you've seen a lot horrible of things, it must get to you."

Sarah's mind went into attack mode, "What about you? Spending you days talking to crazy people. Hard to not let that in right," she forced away a smirk.

The doctor didn't respond to her obvious attack, but instead picked up the drawing again and looked at it. "Looks like trees and a hill. It's… its quite peaceful actually," she placed paper back down in front of Sarah and asked. "You don't find this image as peaceful?"

"Well, he drew it over and over again while his mother was rotting away in the other room. So… no I don't."

"What happened to that boy? To Adrian?"

"He ended up in the foster system," Sarah answered. Now it was really time to change topics. Sarah started attacking again, "I'd expect more then that clumsy cigarette move from you. But then maybe that's why you ended up here, bottom of the barrel psych unit. It must get to you…" This time Sarah couldn't hold back the smirk as she took another whiff of her cigarette.

* * *

Jamie walked into the Darren's office still in a pretty foul food. His anger flared at the sight of everyone just sitting around talking on phones and chatting idly. They should be out doing there work not here sitting on there asses. "Hey! You need to keep blanketing downtown and Rainer Valley with those things. It should have been done yesterday, what the hell's wrong with you people!" That certainly got them moving. "Go on get out of here!"

After the group hurried out of the room, Jamie noticed something strange lying on the floor. It was a gold cufflink with the cities name on it. Only one person could own that cufflink. The question is what was he doing here? "Patty, come here a minute," he called to the aid. "Who closed the office last night?"

* * *

"You're the arresting officer… on the night of October 5th?" Stephen asked approaching a police offer who was standing by his car. It took a little while but he finally got the name of the guy.

"Yeah," he replied. "Precincts always riding us, that's what I got my ass chewed out for."

"You got a name of the guy you arrested?" Stephen asked.

The officer dug though his pocket and pulled out a notepad, "Yeah," he started flipping through it. "Joseph Noact. Yeah… got a noise complaint a few blocks away, when I drove past… I saw some guy slipping under the fence out of the construction site."

"What time was it at?"

"Around 9:30," he replied. "Brought him down to the station, let him make his call. Next thing I know I got the project manager calling, saying the guy works for him. Telling me, 'cut him loose.'"

Stephens minds started spinning as he fully took in this new information, "You talked to Michael Ames?"

"That guy's a prick, lying through his teeth. Whatever Noact was doing there, it wasn't construction. He had a bad attitude, smelled like con. I ran him though codice, Noact works for the mob."

"Who does he work for?"

"Janek Kovarsky."

It all suddenly clicked. A meeting happened on that tenth floor that must have been about the arrest, and Rosie must have seen it. But what was Noact doing at the waterfront? "Ok thanks," he told the officer and left.

* * *

"Before your suspension, you were working on the Rosie Larsen murder."

Sarah grabbed her head and looked down. This was unbelievable, they had only just rehashed her old case, and barely a minute goes by before she starts on the Larsen case. Did this doctor really need to point out every single failure she'd had working as a detective. "Pretty high profile; lots of stress," Dr. Kerry continued not reacting to Sarah's obvious distress.

"Why are we talking about this?" Sarah asked wearily.

"Because that's why you're here."

"I thought I was here because I was trying to kill myself?" Sarah didn't even try to hide the sarcasms in her voice. Dr. Kerry however only shifted position in her chair and crossed her arms, she wasn't about to change topics now. Sarah rolled her eyes and decided to just tell her what she wanted to hear. "Rosie Larsen was a seventeen year old senior, good student, seemingly nice family. Someone killed her, put her in a trunk of a car, and pushed it into a lake."

"Why do you say seemingly?" the doctor asked. "You said seemingly nice family."

Sarah just shrugged, "We all have secrets. You, me, Larsen family, dead girl."

"And that's what you do? You find out peoples secrets?"

"They leave them behind. Sometimes its got them killed, sometimes its just…" she trailed off shaking her head, as if to ward off an incoming thought. "It's as though their trying to tell you something. The victim."

"Is that was Rosie Larsen was doing? She was trying to tell you something… She was drowned in a trunk of car, and you found Adrian in a dark closet. What does that mean to you Sarah?"

"Nothing," she replied almost too fast.

"That it's because they were children?"

Sarah actually took half a moment to think about that question. Was the reason she's so obsessed with these cases because they involved children? She finally shook her head, "No… I've worked child murders before."

"Then why do these two cases mean so much to you?"

A series of long forgotten feelings came over Sarah, and this is where she decided to draw the line. She did not want to talk anymore, about anything. The clock was ticking, and it was time for her to leave this place. She shifted in her seat, "I've been cooperative; I've answered your questions. Now I'd like to know when I'm getting out of here."

Dr. Kerry simply let out a breath, opened up her file and replaced the drawing back inside. "Let's take a break for now," she said standing up.

Anger flared up inside Sarah, "No! You said all I had to do was talk and you'd like me go," she couldn't hide the accusation in her voice.

The other woman remained calm, as she walked around the desk to stand in front of Sarah. "Well I think you need to say here for a little bit longer."

"How much longer," Sarah asked taking a breath to keep her slowly failing composure.

"Possibly through the end of the week," Sarah looked away at hearing this and started shaking her head. Feelings of anger and desperation started to come over her. "You need to rest, eat, get into a normal routine," the Doctor continued.

Sarah took one last stab at calmly negotiating, "You can't keep me here. I did what you asked. I answered your questions and now I need to leave."

"It's not a punishment you being her Sarah-"

A mixture of desperation, anger, fear, and anxiety came crashing down on Sarah as she thought of staying in this place for the rest of the week. She was soon on her feet, "You can't keep me here!" Sarah pushed her chair away. She would never survive a week in this place, the very thought made her heart race. "I need to get out of here right now!"

"Sarah," Dr. Karry said trying to consol her patient.

"You lied to me!" Sarah screamed at her, the feeling of betrayal was now seeping into her.

"No that's not true!" the Doctor called remaining calm but voice still rising to be heard over Sarah's.

She reached out to try and keep her calm but Sarah slapped it away. "Don't! Don't you touch me!" Sarah screamed at her, backing away, while still slapping her hand away.

Dr. Kerry continued to calmly tell her that it wasn't true, while still reaching out and trying to calm her hysteric patient down. Sarah however was in full hysteria now and wasn't even listening. She continued slapping away Dr. Kerry's hand while screaming, "Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't you touch me!"

With the amount of noise Sarah was making, it was no surprised that two male orderlies came in to restrain her. Dr. Kerry finally backed away but still tried to reach though to her by saying, "Calm down."

Sarah felt two strong arms grab her from behind and pick her up. "What are you doing!" she screamed out as another orderly came around and grabbed her legs. Let me go!" She was only barely aware of Dr. Kerry still making requests for her to calm down. Sarah felt nothing but hate and betrayal from this doctor.

"You promised me!" She shouted still struggling against the two orderlies. It was no use though, they had her restrained and she was soon carried out of the room, screaming, "I shouldn't be here!" at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Today was turning out to be a very good day. Darren was on the phone with a company that had just decided to endorse him and it was sure to help him because now he could get some add space. "All right, thank you- thank you for your support. Ok… ok bye," he hung up the phone and Jamie came into the room. "Looks like we'll be able to buy up some of that add space the mayor hasn't already grabbed up. And-"

He stopped when Jamie placed something on his desk. He looked down at a golden cufflink, that undoubtfully belonged to the mayor going by the cities name on it. "Where did you get this?" he asked with a sigh.

Jamie shook his head, "We're so close Darren. The next three days will determine this election."

"Jamie?" Darren pressed looking down at the object. What was Jamie doing with the Mayors cufflink?

"I found it in here; Gwen closed the office last night, alone." The accusation in his voice was loud and clear. "Any idea why she'd be meeting with the Mayor?"

* * *

Stan sat in his office in the garage. It was time to do what he had been dreading the most; his very last apology, the hardest one of all. It was time to ask Rosie for forgiveness. He picked up the phone and slowly dialed her cell phone number, a number he thought he'd never dial again. Icy streams of sorrow rolled over his skin as each number was pushed.

Once finished he placed the phone to his year and listened to the ringing. He held his breath almost thinking that she might answer on the other end. But the voice mail came on after three rings.

The voice of his daughter spoke up as if she were a ghost talking to him. "Hi it's Rosie, I'm not around right now but I'll be back soon. Leave a message, bye."

Stan open and close his mouth trying to find his voice, which had slipped away in the wake of hearing Rosie's voice again. He finally managed to choke out, "Hi babe… its daddy… I'm calling because I don't know what else to do because…" His lost his voice again as he threatened to break down into sobs. "I'm sorry…" Stan's breath became ragged, and his chest felt like it was being torn to shreds. How much he wished that he had this conversation when she was still alive. "It never should have been a secret to you… that I chose to be your dad. It was the best decision I ever made. You've… always been… the best thing about me… the very best thing."

He didn't know what else to day, and even if he did he probably wouldn't be able to go on long enough to say it. So he ended it, "Bye…" he choked out and hung up the phone. There it was done. He had asked for forgiveness. Now he broke down into sobs.

* * *

Stephen followed a nurse into the waiting area at the hospital. He was finally allowed to go and visit Linden. In some ways he was afraid of what he might find, and what her state of mind might be in. He wasn't particularly familiar with psychiatric institutions, but was willing to bet that Linden was in a very fragile state.

As they walked into the visiting area, which was a large room where the walls were glass windows to show the outside, he spotted the back of her head. Her red hair was still tied back in that high ponytail, much more messy then even the normal. She was sitting in a chair staring out one of the large windows. Stephen mentally prepared himself for an emotionally delicate and desperate woman who might fall to pieces at the site of him.

The nurse motioned toward Sarah then turned around and left him. Stephen grabbed a chair with one hand, and brought it over next to Linden's. "Hey," he greeted her softly, sitting down. She slowly turned her head to look at him, and then he asked, "How are you holding up Linden?"

"We don't have a lot of time. What do you got?" She asked keeping her voice low to make sure they weren't over heard.

Stephen almost sighed with relief. Sure she was in a hospital gown looking much more worse for wear then usual, but she at least sounded like she was taking this ok. He was almost surprised, thinking that he wouldn't be so resilient in the same situation. Despite being attacked on the tenth floor of the Casino, put on suicide watch in a psychiatric unit, she was still ready and willing to continue the case. Someone in the back of his mind said that this was something to be worried about, but he brushed the thought away and looked behind him to make sure no one was listening before explaining what he found out.

"There was a break in at the waterfront, the night of Rosie's death. Janek Kovarsky's guy." Linden stared at him intently, taking in every word he was saying. "He gets arrested, Ames doesn't press charges. An hour later we got Ames cancelling his weekend plans, heading to the casino, to meet with Chief Jackson most likely."

"And someone from City Hall, I saw a white keycard."

Stephen nodded in understanding, his mind temporary falling back into case mode as he thought about what this new information meant. "So they were planting something, at the waterfront. And it went wrong with Kovarsky's guy got arrested."

Satisfied pride coursed through Stephen's body. He could taste the blood, they were so close to finding out the truth. He figured she must be happy about it as well, "We're close Linden." He was brought back to reality upon realizing she wasn't even listening to him anymore. She had gone back to staring out the window with a dazed look on her face. Concern crossed over his facial features, "Hey." He said softly, "Hey look at me."

Linden slowly turned her head to look at him. He took in and fully absorbed her appearance, and realized she was not as normal as he was first led to believe. Her stare was vacant, and her eyes were glassy. "I saw I white key card from City Hall…" she repeated. Her voice was much more dazed and soft. She was without a doubt high on something.

He looked back toward the nurse's station. "What'd they do to you?" Stephen was completely horrified, staring at his partner who had been so strong and sturdy when he first met her. Now she looked weak and fragile, about to break at any moment. What the hell did they give her? Or what it just this place? Being locked up in an institution for 9 hours had completely broken this strong woman who had become his best friend.

She leaned in closer to him, and said barely above a whisper. "Please don't leave me here…" a small tear formed at the corner of her eye.

Stephen felt his heart crush at her plead. It sounded so strained, so forced, so desperate. "I'm going to get you out of here," he vowed.

The nurse took this tender moment to announce that Stephen's time was up. He felt a hand on his shoulder, "Sir its time."

He held up his hand to signal that he needed a couple more seconds. Thankfully she didn't seem to mind giving him another moment. "Just hang tight for a couple hours, I'm not leaving you in here." She didn't respond in anyway, so he added, "You hear? I'm not leaving you here." He gently reached up and touched her arm, letting her know that he really did mean it, and then left her side more determined then ever to figure out away to get her out that this place.

* * *

Stephen drove down the waterfront site after finding out that's where Noact was. He got out of the car, digging into his inside pocket just in case he needed to draw his gun, and approached the two men who were unloading boards. "Joseph Noact?" he asked.

One of the men took off running. "Hey!" Stephen called running after him. It sure hurt like hell running like that. This was why he was put on sick leave, because running with broken ribs hurt like a bitch. But his desire to figure this out and get Linden out of the hospital kept him going.

Thankfully the chase was a short one. Despite his broken ribs he still managed to catch up with Noact and trip him. Unfortunately it also resulted in him falling to the ground as well, aggravating his wounds even more. But Stephen still managed to haul himself up, "Yeah! Why you runnin fool!" he asked then kicked the guy in the gut.

Joseph cried out in pain, as the wind was knocked out of him. This gave Stephen time to pull out his gun and load it. He bent down and grabbed Joseph's shirt pointing the gun at his face. "What were you doing at the waterfront the night of October 5th? Why didn't Ames press charges? Huh?"

"You can't shoot me," Joseph pointed out. "You're a cop."

"Tell me what you were doing for Ames that night at the waterfront," Stephen demanded.

* * *

Lt. Eric Carlson walked out of Seattle PD and jogged through the rain to get into his car. As soon as he sat down and closed the door he heard his back seat door open and close. He looked behind and to his annoyance it was Holder. "Get out of my car," he demanded. Linden and Holder had turned into a real pain in his side, its no wonder Oaks got into so much trouble.

"The night Rosie Larson was killed; there was a break in at the waterfront," Holder explained without ceremony. "All our players are involved. Janek Kovarsky's thug breaks into the mayors construction site. Project manager Michael Ames chose not to press charges."

"So what?" Eric asked. He couldn't see any connection between that and the Larsen investigation which he was sure was going to end everyone's carrier at this point.

"Here's the best part. I spoke to Janek's boy. He says he was given an order that night to break in and bury some Indian bones. See Janek's boy was supposed to be protected, to get in, bury the bones, get out- inside job. Except our boys at he ninth precinct weren't in on it, they arrested him. I'm guessing our players got scared thinking the boys going to talk. They head out to the Casino to meet with Nichole Jackson, Rosie Larsen overhears the conversation. Gets herself killed. Lu… this goes all the way to the top. This goes all the way to city hall."

He had to admit it was a pretty well thought out theory that made sense. Except for one thing. "Why would the mayor, sabotage his whole project? It's the cornerstone of his campaign."

"Why would Ames sabotage the biggest construction project he's had in years. Unless they both knew another payday would come. And it'd be bigger."

Maybe Holder was on to something. "You're on the wrong side Lutenit, their using you," Holder continued. Could he be right? Had he been played this entire time? "I need her psychiatrist's name and number. You've got it; it's in her file… Let's solve this case."

* * *

Darren couldn't help but wonder which side Gwen was really on. Could she perhaps be working both sides? Why else would she be meeting with the Mayor in his own office? He sat in his office staring the cufflink Jamie had showed him. "Hey," Gwen's voice broke the silence. "Have you seen that video?"

"Ahh… what video?" Darren asked trying not to sound suspicious or accusing.

"My inbox is flooded with this thing," she replied and got on his computer. "It's from the event this morning. It's you playing basket ball with those kids." She typed in an address and brought up a SceneVid video. "It's gone viral." The video showed him playing basket ball while one of his speeches was being played in the background.

"Is this your work or Jamie's," he asked.

"Neither," Gwen smiled broadly. "Someone in the crowd took it on their phone and put it on the internet. These people love you Darren their rooting for you."

She noticed that he didn't look all too enthused by this. "What wrong?" She motioned toward the computer. "This is good for us."

With a sigh he showed her the cufflink. "An intern found it… in here" he said by way of explanation. Gwen looked away from him looking upset, "You closed the office last night."

Gwen took a long moment before answering. "…I asked him to meet me here. I thought- …I hoped that he might back off because of what I had on him."

She had something on him? What could she have on him that might actually back off of them. It must have been pretty bad, "Go ahead."

Gwen turned around and leaned her back against the desk sighing in distress. "The summer before high school, he was working for my father. He was over at the house all the time. He asked me questions… seemed interested in me."

Darren didn't like the sound of this. He decided to give her an escape, "Ah… Gwen you don't have to tell me anything- you don't."

"One night we were in the living room alone… my dad was in the kitchen. And he leaned over and he…" she trailed off. Darren wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the rest. He almost spoke up and told her to stop but figured that maybe this was something she needed to tell someone about. Possibly something she had been holding in for years and it was finally busting out. "…That was my first kiss."

Darren was actually relieved. If that was all it is, he briefly wondered why she was so upset about it, its not like she was raped or anything. But she was obviously upset by it and it would be very shallow to ask her that. "I was fourteen years old," she continued. He at least had to her giver her credit for using that to help him despite the obvious distress if gave her. "I want this so badly for you Darren."

"Gwen…" he didn't know what else to say. She looked at him. Not sure how to handle this situation exactly, he just reached over and touched her arm.

* * *

"I don't get it, how am I so bad at this game?" Terry asked laughing to herself. Maybe it was because she was always bad at cards. Tommy and Danny were both laughing at her.

They all looked over at the door which suddenly opened. Stan walked in, "Hi dad," Tommy greeted.

"You want some food?" Terry asked ready to get up and go make him a plate. She had practically turned into the substitute wife/mother since Mitch left.

There was a short awkward silence until Stan announced, "Everybody close your eyes. It's a surprise."

Terry waved her hand at the boys and whispered, "Close your eyes." She wondered what Stan had waiting for them. It was a big surprise when he brought a humongous bulldog into the house. She couldn't help but gasp out loud.

"All right open them," he announced.

The boys were ecstatic. "Sweet!" Tommy cried out.

"He's ours!" Danny added.

Terry started laughing so happy for them. She really gave Stan props this was a good surprise. "All yours," Stan replied smiling. "Don't let him make a mess in the house. Of course you got to feed him, you got to walk him."

"He only has one eye!" Danny cried out as he hugged the dog.

"Maybe he's a pirate dog," Terry joked.

"He's huge!" Danny commented.

Terry didn't notice the interaction between Stan and Tommy who suddenly looked sad. "You're going to take care of him bud, right?" Stan asked him.

"Yeah," Tommy replied with a smile.

Stan kissed his hand and placed it on Tommy's head. And then the dog suddenly started peeing on the basketball making everyone gasp and cry out. "Gross!" Tommy said standing up.

"Go get paper towels quick, quick," Terry called to him still laughing.

"Did you push a button?" Stan joked as Tommy climbed over the couch and ran into the kitchen to get the paper towels.

"He's so slobbery," Danny continued is assessment of the dog.

Stan picked up a picture frame that Tommy knocked over while climbing on the couch and looked at it. It was a picture Rosie and the boys; he stared at it while Terry arranged the clean up. "Hey, Careful when you take him, he don't shit on the carpet," Stan said placing the picture back in its original place.

* * *

It was long after dark and Sarah was still sitting on her bed, staring at the gross looking hospital food which was now stone cold. She was still holding on to that promise Holder made before leaving her that afternoon. He promised he'd get her out, however it has been a lot longer then the couple hours of he said to hold out for.

When two hours went by, she just told herself that it was unlikely he'd be two hours right on the dot and she would just have to be patient and wait a little bit longer. But two hours turned into three, which she said to herself that maybe it was just taking longer then he originally thought. Then three hours turned into four, then four hours into five. And now she had just about given up on him. She should have known better then to get her hopes up; how could she believe that Holder would be able to get her out, he wasn't even a doctor.

Sarah suddenly felt a rumble in her stomach, which made her start to think about how long it really had been since she last ate. She drank some coffee the other day, but that didn't count on food. On Friday she had eaten a couple of Holder's chips, that was four days ago. Had she eaten something after that? She probably did and just couldn't remember at the moment. But a couple of chips weren't a full meal, when did she have her last meal. When did she eat that flat bread, was that Tuesday or Thursday? Or maybe it was Wednesday.

This is when it finally hit her. She couldn't even fully recall the last time she ate anything much less a meal. The last time that happened was three years ago during that case… Dr. Kerry said that if she cooperated, she would be able to leave sooner then the 72 hour hold. And as it was looking like she's have to figure a way out on her own she figured that the first way to cooperate would be to eat when she's supposed to.

With a soft sigh, she scooted forward to sit on the edge of the bed. The meal that was brought to her a couple hours ago consisted of a plate of corn, meatloaf, and mash potatoes that looked like it could have been made of rubber. On the side they had a roll of bread, apple sauce, and cup filled with apple juice. Despite its unappetizing look, Sarah grabbed the plastic spoon and took a bite of the corn. She chewed it and swallowed slowly, it didn't taste as bad as it looked at least. She'd had better though.

She ate another spoonful of corn, and her stomach suddenly came alive with a vengeance. It demanded more food, didn't care what it was just as long as it was solid. She switched to taking a bite of the mash potato's which did taste as bad as it looked, however she didn't care anymore. She continued ravenously eating the food like a hungry wolf, and only stopped when she felt someone watching her. Upon glancing up she saw it was Dr. Kerry who had come to check on her. She just looked in at Sarah with a knowing smile on her face.

* * *

"How Rosie's Body was found… it doesn't make sense." Sarah was back to talking with Dr. Kerry, much more comfortable sitting a couch instead of a chair. All of the days internal fight and stress, on top of the large amount of drugs that were still coursing through her system, had exhausted her. She was too fatigued to fight it anymore. So Sarah had finally given in and spoke her mind to the only pair of listen ears available.

"The killer chased her through the woods for hours, he beat her. It takes determination… hate to do that," Sarah had never really thought this out before until now. It really didn't make sense. "But she was alive when she went into the water… the killer didn't want to see her eyes when she finally died."

"How does that relate to Adrian's mother's murder Sarah?" Dr. Kerry asked. She had been listening so patiently to Sarah's musing which was more directed to herself then to the doctor.

Sarah could feel her own confusion building up, "I don't know," she replied shaking her head sounding as baffled as she felt. "It doesn't," she added as an afterthought. It was true, there was no connection or similarities between the two cases, they were completely different. There was no connection… was there?

"There's something meaningful about these two cases, so…what is it?" the doctor asked.

"My old partner, he was the primary. He was convinced that dad was the doer- said 'Dad probably panicked, and escaped through the fire escape window…'" Sarah explained, her mind was now completely lost in these past memories. "Neighbors said they saw him in the building 20 minutes before time of death, heard an argument, said they were always fighting. We put him away…"

"So, you caught the killer in Adrian's case?"

Sarah was not fully back in the room, but still heard the question. "Dad lived in that apartment; he knew it was a shithole. No one ever called the cops on him, so why… would he leave through a window. Attracting attention on the street, why not walk right out the front door..."

There was a short silence where Sarah stayed lost in her thoughts and memories, staring out into blank space just like she had done three years ago. Dr. Kerry finally broke the silence, "So you don't think the father did it?"

Sarah was brought back down to earth. She gave the doctor a serious haunted look, saying just above a whisper. "No… I don't."

"Did your partner feel the same way, that you arrested the wrong man?"

"He was the primary, more senior then me. The department was satisfied and I gave up trying to convince them at some point," Sarah's carefully controlled emotions were starting to get the better of her, as her chest started to tighten with distress.

"Do you feel guilty about that?"

Sarah felt her breath start to quicken just in the slightest, "I listened to them- I should have…" she shook her head, old feelings of regret coming back. "I should have listened to him. He was trying to tell me something. I should have listened…"

"To who? To Adrian?" Dr. Kerry asked. "Is that why you brought the drawing with you last time Sarah, he was trying to tell you something with it?" her voice started to speed up knowing that she was slowly getting to the root of it. "Is that why you continue to investigate the Rosie Larsen murder even on suspension?"

That feeling in Sarah's chest tightened even more, and was joined by a lump in her throat giving her the desire to just burst into tears. She held it back though and managed to choke out, "They'll bury this case, they'll make it go away…"

"Sarah," Dr. Kerry's voice had gone very soft and empathetic. "Maybe… what they went though was something you relate to. Have you ever thought about that?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed in confusion, "What?" she asked stiffly, tilting her head to the side having a suspicion on what Dr. Kerry was about the bring up next. "I told you why it matters."

"Let's talk about your mother… about when she abandoned you."

Sarah felt her anger return full force. If not for the sedating drugs in her system she might have gotten physically aggressive. This woman sure had some nerve… She glared intensely at the doctor, hating everything about her. "You sit there in that chair across from me, thinking you'll get to the heart of it. That you can help me, that you can save me. It must feel good thinking that… justifying your little life with that."

"Is that how you feel Sarah? With your victims."

"No their dead, they don't need saving anymore," Sarah's voice remained cold and almost mocking. The only thing that stopped her from jumping on the couch and attacking the other woman was knowing that if she did, they would never let her out.

"She left you in the apartment... alone. You were five years old. Do you remember that?" the doctor asked changing the subject.

"No," Sarah quickly replied without even thinking about it.

"Surely you must have some memories."

Sarah took a moment to search through her painful childhood memories, digging deeper and deeper through her younger years. She came across these vague memories, sitting all alone in pitch black darkness. "The lights had been turned off, she hadn't paid the bill. That's all I remember." Her lips started to tremble as sobs tried so desperately to force there way out of her.

"CPS found you the next morning, after she left. So you spend the night in that pace alone."

It was getting harder and harder to keep it together. Sarah averted her eyes so she no longer had to look at Dr. Kerry. "That was along time ago I'm fine now," she insisted, but couldn't stop the single tear from falling. She closed her eyes to stop the rest that were threatening to fall.

"Your son is gone. You were supposed to be married a few days ago; you lost your job… Really?"

Sarah hated feeling so venerable. She felt as if she were suffocating, it was time to get out. Another tear leaked from her eye, "Whatever you want me to say I'll say it, just please let me go." It was not a request, it was not a demand. It was a plead. Begging to get out of there; Out of this room, out of the hospital, out of the memories which were currently imprisoning her.

"You spent the night alone in the dark," Dr. Kerry pressed. She was so close to making a breakthrough.

A long silence fell between the two, while Sarah stayed lost in her memories and Dr. Carry waited patiently. The silence was broken by a knock on the door, and the front desk nurse poked her head inside. "Excuse me Dr. Kerry?"

"Give us a minute," Dr. Kerry replied.

"Sarah is being officially released."

Sarah's head turned toward the nurse in shock. Officially released… officially release. Those two words brought a relief that was mixed with surprise and happiness. At once she knew who her rescuer was. Holder had kept his promise… "She'll be out in a minute," Dr, Kerry replied, a hint of disappointment could be heard in her voice. But she kept her face neutral, and tired to continue what they started, "Sarah, go ahead. What were you going to say?"

Sarah looked at the doctor then back at the now closed door. She weighed the two options and it wasn't hard to pick between them. Without a word, she stood up and slowly walked out of the room.

* * *

Stephen paced back and forth in the waiting room. His mind was reeling with the information that was handed to him. In the blink of an eye Mr. Sonoma had suddenly become Dr. Sonoma. She was going to marry her flippin shrink? How unethical can you get? He wasn't really sure who the put the blame on, but almost felt like he had no right too. Sarah Linden was a very messed up woman, growing up with a nightmare of a childhood. His own childhood wasn't filled with wasn't exactly filled with sunshine and rainbows either, so he's pretty messed up as well.

But he wasn't about to marry his own doctor. Stephen finally decided that if he felt he needed to blame someone, then it should be Mr. Sonoma. Is usually is the Dr.'s responsibility to remain professional, its no damn wonder she's so messed up! How does he even still have his credentials?

Speak of the Devil…

Stephen had never seen Rick before, but he knew at once the man walking through the entrance was him. He seemed to have the same notion. It seemed as if Linden had drawn some sort of connection between the two, and they somehow knew each other despite the fact they had never met. Rick did not look especially happy to be there. He didn't really look angry either; it more felt like this was some annoying chore he had to get done. "Does she know I'm here?" he asked.

With a little shake of the head Stephen replied, "No."

That seemed to satisfy the doctor, "I'll help get her out. But I can't be involved anymore. She's your responsibility now."

That comment didn't really sit right with Stephen. He almost felt as if Rick was pawning off an annoying pet he got tired of. Maybe this was just his way of saying, "I'm done bailing her out, so never call me again." Rick didn't give him a chance to respond, as he walked right past him and approached the nurse's desk. "I'm Dr. Felder; I faxed over the paperwork to release Sarah Linden into my care."

* * *

Sarah was relieved to be in her own clothes again. She was more then ready to get out of this place. Following a nurse down the stairs, she looked up in time to see the last person she ever expected to see. Her beloved Rick was in the waiting room, standing at the front desk about to sign for her freedom. He looked up, noticing her staring at him.

A soft smile painted her lips, and she reached a hand up to touch the glass wall that stood between them. She hadn't realized how much she missed him, until now. Seeing him again brought a strong sense of happiness. However he did not smile back, some may debate he almost grimaced at the site of her, and looked back down to sign the clipboard he had in front of him. Sarah continued her way down the stairs, and stopped at the desk at the bottom to sign herself out. Then the nurse opened the door and let her out.

Anxiousness filled Sarah as she walked out, wondering what she was going to say to Rick. It shamed her to think that _this _of all things was what brought Rick back. But as she walked into the waiting room and looked around, she realized that he wasn't there anymore. Her heart sank. He didn't even allow her to explain, didn't stay long enough to even say hi. He had abandoned her just like all the others.

Except one.

Holder slowly approached her, looking awkward, giving her an almost questioning look. As if he were asking, "Am I good enough?" She smiled at him. Rick may have gotten her out, but she knew that Holder was behind it. They exchanged no words; they didn't need to, and walked out together.

* * *

Amber Ahmed walked out the front door and turned on the light. The light that had previously been flickering, which it wasn't now. She looked up at it, wondering how it got fixed. Bennet couldn't have done it, and she didn't do it. Stan Larsen was at there house earlier, and Bennet chased him away. But what was he doing there. Could he have fixed it?

Stan turned off the light in Rosie's room. It was time to move on, to start living again as Terry put it. He had asked everyone for forgiveness, weather or not they accepted was now their responsibility. He had done his part. Life for the Larsen's was going to start getting better. With one last look at the room, he closed the door.

Gwen was in her car with the window open, and a young man approached her window. Darren didn't have to know that she paid this kid to make that video. It was much better to have him believe someone had done it without there asking. "Nice work on the Richmond video," she complimented and handed him an envelope full of money. He accepted it with a smile and walked away. She put her car into drive and drove off.

Stephen thought that finally getting Linden out of there would have stopped his worrying; however it seemed to have brought more worries. Could he really take on the responsibility of this woman? By the time they had left the hospital parking lot, she was already fast asleep in the passenger seat. Even while driving, he couldn't help but look over at her on occasion. Making sure she was still asleep, that she was still all right. He would be there for her, and he was going to make sure nothing like this ever happened to her again.

"The room's been taken care of, they won't find anything," Chief Nichole Jackson said over the phone as she walked though the still constructing hallways of the tenth floor. They were cleaning up the last of the mess that was made, to make sure if the police ever did decide to come back they wouldn't figure out what had happened up there. She walked into the room where they were putting in new floors and shared a smile with her head of security Roberta. Unknown to all of them, was a bloody City Hall keycard lying underneath the floorboards. About to be covered up, possibly forever…

END

Thanks for Reading I hope you enjoyed.

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